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Product Description
Amazon.ca
Men of a Certain Age is actor-comedian Ray Romano's exceptional second TV act, a bracingly honest comedy-drama about the joys and pitfalls of middle age. Created by Romano and Mike Royce, an Emmy®-winning writer and producer on Everybody Loves Raymond, the series follows three college friends as they wade into the deep end of their 40s--recent divorcé Romano, who pines for his lost marriage and missed life opportunities; car salesman Andre Braugher (Homicide: Life on the Street), who chafes under the command of his boss, who's also his father; and actor Scott Bakula (Enterprise), who clings to a Lothario lifestyle while facing a faltering career. Although the show addresses many of the expected issues associated with men in their middle years, from impotence and workplace relevance to maturing children, the tone is respectful and bittersweet, and mines the material for its human qualities instead of sitcom gags. Emmy winner Braugher and Golden Globe recipient Bakula handle both sides of the show with typical skill, but it's Romano who offers the greatest surprise; his performance--light-years from the hapless Ray Barone--sketches a man struggling to carve out a new identity in subtle, carefully balanced tones. Fans of Raymond may not find an abundance of laugh-out-loud moments here, but the interplay between the leads generates many wry moments, and the supporting cast, in particular Jon Manfrellotti as Romano's Runyon-esque bookie, shoulder much of the humor with ease. Given the time to develop its already appealing characters over the course of several seasons, Men of a Certain Age could become a top television drama, one that could stand comfortably next to Romano's achievements in comedy.
The two-disc set of Men's first season offers a handful of entertainment extras, most notably a pair of very funny commentaries by Romano, Royce, Braugher, and Bakula for the pilot and season finale. In between good-natured digs at Braugher's Julliard education, the show runners discuss changes made to the pilot and the origin of several story elements (in particular, the pilot's seemingly indestructible possum). The deleted scenes offer the material cut from the pilot, as well as from subsequent episodes; all contain intriguing bits of character development and dialogue instead of the usual extraneous throwaways. Gag reels are usually painful experiences, but Romano's comic skills make this a highlight, as does a jaw-dropping barrage of improvisations by Manfrellotti during the Chinese restaurant scene from "The New Guy." A brace of short, network-provided interviews with the leads, as well as a series overview, closes out the set. --Paul Gaita
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic,
By BJ Bailey "Dog Lover" (Calgary, Alberta) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Men of a Certain Age: The Complete First Season (DVD)
My husband and I both enjoyed this series very much. The story line was quirky yet very realistic. I think the characters are very relatable and I highly recommend this series.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars (34 customer reviews) 37 of 37 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
five episodes into this series and am absolutely knocked out,
By carol irvin "carol irvin" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Men of a Certain Age: The Complete First Season (DVD)
Update: I just watched the season finale, episode 10. This series remained top notch from first to last. I really hope there is another season. I can't recommend the series highly enough. Below is the original review:I am five episodes into this series and am absolutely knocked out. The acting on this new series is absolutely superb and is equalled by the scripts. I could never get into Ray Romano in his EVERYONE LOVES RAYMOND show despite its being an enormous hit. Unlike that show, this is NOT a comedy although it has wryly comic moments. The premise is three guys in their late 40s who grew up together and have stayed together as friends their entire lives. Two of them are white and one is black. I grew up in a family business so the black character, spending his life in his father's car business, is the best story for me. The actor does a superb job with the tensions inherent in working for your father, a former pro sports hero. He is also the only one who can hold down a marriage. Ray Romano plays the one soon to be divorced primarily because of his gambling addiction. He owns a party store with lots of games, fittingly enough. This gambling addiction takes a fascinating script detour when he spends an entire evening in the company of his bookie as his friend for the night while his wife is out on a date. The third guy is the ladies man, a never made it actor who now tries out other occupations like some people try out new ties. I like him the least of the three but that may be the point of including him. You are going to want to see this show, every episode. I can hardly wait for episode six. 21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Surprising Slice of Life,
By Irishman65 "irishman65" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Men of a Certain Age: The Complete First Season (DVD)
Men of a Certain Age is a show I expected to like but not love, since I hadn't enjoyed Ray Romano in Everybody Loves Ray. WOW - was this show ever a surprise. Andre Brauger is completely different from his character on Homicide and equally interesting to watch - as is Scott Bakula of Quantum Leap and Enterprise (where I didn't like his character) fame. Both men bring nuances to the characters that keep you wanting to sit down with them and get to know them better. However, Ray Romano is simply amazing and surprising here. I didn't know he had this level of acting ability! The other surprise for me is how much my wife and teenagers love this show - you'd think from the title it is a show for middle aged men but the reality is, it is fascinating viewing for anyone with a brain. These characters are complex shades of gray - no easy answers and not just easy ground covered.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love this show,
By AKTF "UMgradstudent" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Men of a Certain Age: The Complete First Season (DVD)
This show is as funny, sad, and realistic as TV gets. It is smart and the dialogue is well written.I liked Ray in Everybody loves Raymond, and it took me a bit to redefine him in a different role, but this role is much better. All the characters are fun and interesting. Being a man in my late 30's, I find myself drawn to this show and thinking about my life in many ways. Seeing myself and many of my friends in the different characters and wondering what will happen to them next. Not sure if this show will stretch genders, but my wife liked the 15 mins she watched. Anyway, support this show - it is a good one. |
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